Is drying your laundry hazardous to your health?

A new study suggests that drying laundry in the house could have harmful health effects, especially for those suffering from asthma, hay fever, or similar allergies.

In the warmer months, people are more likely to hang their clothes outside to dry. But as the weather gets colder, drying inside the house makes much more sense. Unfortunately, according to a study conducted by the Mackintosh School of Architecture, many people have too much moisture inside their homes and that is often due to this practice.

The increased moisture is a problem because it can spur dust mite growth. 75 percent of the households looked at in the study had moisture levels that were too high. Researcher Rosalie Menon says the way to fix this is by designating spaces in new houses to be used for drying clothes. "These spaces should be independently heated and ventilated," she said.